The Ball
by Eve Karma
Summary: Barlet's second inaugural ball. Oh yeah, and the morning after. (Warning: Josh and Donna fic)
1. Default Chapter

Title 

Title: The Ball, (1/?)

Author: Eve Karma

Spoilers: None, if I recall correctly.

Rating: PG-13 because I say so.

Disclaimer: If they were mine, you would know. 

Other: This is my first actual JD fic, so don't expect too much. Except for the few pictures I've seen, I don't know too much about the Smithsonian Ball, so bear with me. FB makes me dance. Enjoy! :)

********************************************** 

**2002 Inaugural Ball, The Smithsonian**

He was trying to decide whether or not he wanted another drink when he saw her. Even from across the room, she was stunning in her sky blue gown.

He decided to pass on the drink and instead made his way over to where she was sitting, talking to Margaret. The band started a new song--At Last, by Etta James...or was it Ella Fitzgerald...he wasn't sure.

She smiled as he approached. "Hey, Josh, I haven't seen you all night," she greeted him.

"Hey. You want to go out there?" he asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the dance floor. 

"Okay," she replied, "I'll talk to you later, Margaret."

He led her out into the crowd, where he slipped his arms around her waist. She responded by draping her arms around his neck. 

"We look like we're in college," she giggled, glancing at the other couples.

"Where do you *think* I learned this trick from?" He asked.

"Zoey," they said simultaneously before bursting into a stifled fit of laughter.

"And there were those couple of episodes of Dawson's Creek..." He added. Donna wasn't sure if he was kidding or not.

When they had calmed down, she leaned in and murmured, "I love this song."

"I know," he stated simply.

"You do?" She cocked her head and looked at him.

"Yeah. You always hum it when you file."

"Hm. I never realized that," she admitted.

"You look gorgeous," he said," I didn't get the chance to tell you before."

"Thank you, Josh. You look pretty good yourself. Of course, it wouldn't have happened without the tie-fixing talents of Don--ouch!"

"What? What is it?"

"Nothing, I'm fine, you just stepped on my toes."

"Sorry," he grinned sheepishly while she lifted her skirt a few inches and stuck out her foot, as if to make sure it was still there.

"Where are your shoes?" he asked, watching as she wiggled her toes within a pair of gray socks.

"I left them under a table somewhere," she said with a wave of her hand. He looked at her, confused. "My feet hurt!" she added, and he mirrored her smile.

"You really *have* been hanging around Zoey too much," he said as they resumed dancing.

He studied her-how her eyes glistened beneath the chandeliers; how her silver necklace lay on her collarbone just so; how, during the course of the night, a single strand of hair had come out of her French twist, and she hadn't noticed. He was blinded by her.

As the song neared its end, he pulled her close and whispered into her ear, "I love you Donna."

To Be Continued...


	2. 

Title 

Title: The Ball, (2/?)

Author: Eve Karma

Spoilers: None, if I recall correctly.

Rating: PG-13 because I say so.

Disclaimer: If they were mine, you all would know. 

Other: This is my first actual JD fic, so don't expect too much. Except for the few pictures I've seen, I don't know too much about the Smithsonian Ball, so bear with me. FB makes me dance. Enjoy! :)

***********************************************

She tried not to jerk back in surprise, but he could feel her tense up. 

"Josh...I think it's time to go home," she said, leading him off the dance floor as the band played the last few chords of "At Last." 

"But it's only 12:15," he protested, checking his watch.

"It's 12:45, your watch sucks. You should know that by now. Go say goodbye to your friends, Josh," she instructed as if she were speaking to a child. Donna began to rummage under tables for her purse and shoes. 

He did what she said, wondering if she always acted so stern after someone told her how they felt about her.

They reunited several minutes later, and she led him to her car. 

"Why do you have to drive?" he asked, not realizing how his words were slurring together.

"Gee, maybe it's because I drove you to the Smithsonian in the first place," she replied.

"Oh. That makes sense."

"Plus, I don't trust you to be able to find your way home, anyway."

He didn't know what to tell her.

"Thanks," she said during the drive as she cranked up the heat. 

"For what?" he held his hands in front of a vent and rubbed them together.

"For dancing with me. I thought you were hiding from me all night."

"How could I not dance with you?" he asked incredulously.

She didn't have time to answer, because he said, "Hey, I don't live here," as they pulled up to Donna's apartment. 

"No, you don't," she reminded him. "But I would feel responsible if you went home alone tonight and ended up dying because you choked on your own vomit."

"Oh. That makes sense too." he mused.

She unlocked the apartment door and led him inside. He stood in the middle of the living room for a minute, looking around him. "What happened?" he asked. "No roommate? No cats? You live by yourself now?"

"Yes," she told him through the large blanket she was carrying out of her bedroom, "Which is surprising, considering--"

"I know, I know, conshidrun whai pay you, whare'vi 'eard that one b'fore?"

Don't worry, she didn't understand a word of that either.

Translation: "I know, I know, where have I heard that one before?"

He slumped onto the couch, and she felt obliged to get his shoes, jacket, and tie off before he started snoring. She covered him with the blanket and made sure he was laying on his side. Just in case. 

"Goodnight, Joshua," she whispered softly. Then she crept into her bedroom, changed into her pajamas, and fell into bed.

To Be Continued...


	3. 

Title 

Title: The Ball, (3/?)

Author: Eve Karma

Spoilers: None, if I recall correctly.

Rating: PG-13 because I say so.

Disclaimer: If they were mine, you all would know. 

Other: This is my first actual JD fic, so don't expect too much. Except for the few pictures I've seen, I don't know too much about the Smithsonian Ball, so bear with me. FB makes me dance. Enjoy! :)

***************************************************

When the alarm went off, she threw out her arm, hoping she would hit the clock on her nightstand and stop the ringing. After a few tries, she succeeded. 

"No...I just need a few more minutes..." she groaned into her pillow, but she picked her head up and squinted at the clock: 5:30 AM. 

Then, she realized that she could hear breathing nearby. And it wasn't her. She turned and looked at the other side of the bed. There, she found Josh-sprawled out next to her and sleeping like a baby. 

"Oh yeah. I need a few more minutes," she said, and pulled the covers up over her head.

~~~~~

The next time Donna opened her eyes, she was facing Josh, who was still asleep. Sunlight was bursting through the mini-blinds. She rolled over to look at the clock, but with a yelp and a thud, she landed on the floor.

"What? What is it?" Josh asked, instantly awake.

"I'm, uh, down here," she called up to him.

"Oh, hey," he said, peering over the edge of the bed at her. 

"What time is it?" she asked, craning her neck to check the time, "10:30? It's 10:30?? How the hell did we oversleep like that??" She untangled herself from the blankets and rushed out into the hall. 

A moment later, she reappeared, waving her toothbrush at him. "How did you end up in my bed?" she asked through a mouthful of toothpaste.

"What?" Josh replied, unable to understand her.

She ran off again. He heard her spit and rinse. Then she was back, still waving her toothbrush.

"How did you end up in my bed?" she asked again.

"Oh. I had to go to the bathroom."

"And you ended up here?" she gestured at the bed.

"I got lost. I figured it could wait. Hey, your bed is really comfy," he told her, bouncing a little. 

"It's down there," she directed, pointing down the hall.

She went into the kitchen to make some coffee. "We are dead meat," she grumbled under her breath. 

A minute later, Josh joined her, dialing the cordless he had picked up from her room.

"Who are you calling?"

To Be Continued...


	4. 

Title 

Title: The Ball, (4/5)

Author: Eve Karma

Spoilers: None, if I recall correctly.

Rating: PG-13 because I say so.

Disclaimer: If they were mine, you all would know. 

Other: This is my first actual JD fic, so don't expect too much. Except for the few pictures I've seen, I don't know too much about the Smithsonian Ball, so bear with me. FB makes me dance. Enjoy! :)

***********************************************

"Who are you calling?" she asked.

"Leo."

"Leo?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Leo McGarry, please," he said into the phone. While he waited, he held his hand over the mouthpiece and spoke to her. "I'm trying to get us out of work," he grinned.

"Josh! It's the first day of the President's second term!"

"Don't worry, we won't have to go."

She rolled her eyes at him.

Finally, Leo came on the line. Donna sat at the kitchen table, listening to Josh's end of the conversation.

"'Morning, Leo. (cough) Yeah, actually, I'm pretty sick. (sniffle) I don't know what it is, but I feel horrible. I don't think I'm going to make it in today. (cough) Oh, Donna's not there yet either?" he winked at her, "Maybe I should check on her--oh. But--Leo, why--okay. Bye." He hung up the phone. "I guess we do have to go."

Donna got up, poured two steaming cups of coffee, and sat back down. Josh dialed another number.

"You're not going to drink it?"

"Yeah, I'll get to it. Thanks."

"Hey Charlie, it's Josh. Yeah. Okay," he said into the phone.

While he waited (much longer this time) he cradled the phone with his shoulder and stood behind Donna, running his fingers through her hair.

"What are you doing?" she laughed.

"Getting the tangles out." he told her.

"Oh. It feels nice," she said and wrapped her hands around her coffee.

Finally, the man in charge answered his phone. Josh almost dropped his.

"Oh, hey, Mr. President, um, Good Morning! Oh, he did? Yeah. Are you sure? It's not a problem? Alright. Thank you, sir. Have a good day."

"I can't believe you called the President to try to get out of work," she laughed in disbelief.

"Well, it worked. We don't have to go," his last statement had a singsong tone to it.

To Be Continued...


	5. 

Title 

Title: The Ball, (5/5)

Author: Eve Karma

Spoilers: None, if I recall correctly.

Rating: PG-13 because I say so.

Disclaimer: If they were mine, you all would know. 

Other: This is my first actual JD fic, so don't expect too much. Except for the few pictures I've seen, I don't know too much about the Smithsonian Ball, so bear with me. FB makes me dance. Enjoy! :)

***********************************************

A half-hour later, they were sitting on the couch eating pancakes that Josh had made.

"I didn't know you could cook," Donna mumbled through a mouthful of food.

"What?" he asked in pretend shock, "I live by myself, you think that means I eat takeout every night?"

"Um...yeah."

They sat chewing in silence as Josh kept his thumb on the remote, channel surfing. 

"Oh, hey, wait, stop there!" Donna exclaimed as CNN flashed onto the screen. "They've got footage of the Balls last night!"

They watched as the channel showed clips of all five Inaugural Balls from the previous night. 

"There's us," Josh said softly as video played of couples dancing to "At Last" at the Smithsonian.

"That's so weird. Oh man, you can see my socks!" She said as she watched Josh spin her around.

"I don't think anyone who's watching is looking at your feet," he told her before shoveling another forkful of pancakes into his mouth.

"That's true. Hey, I'm on TV, I can't complain," she smiled.

They watched for a few more minutes as two anchors discussed the events of the day before. 

Then, she turned to him and said, "Hey, Josh?"

"Yeah?" 

"Do you remember anything you said last night?"

He looked at her, puzzled. "You mean at the Ball?"

"Um...yeah." she confirmed, looking away.

"I remember." A long pause. Then, "I meant it, you know."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I really do."

"Love you too, Josh."

He put down his plate and reached for her hand. She turned hers over to accept his, and they sat together, watching the TV but thinking about other things.

The End.


End file.
